Hagen Human Capital, one of our recruitment partners

What international mobility means for digital talents

John Armitage, a Senior Recruiter at Hagen Human Capital, is currently living what many of his candidates dream of doing: he is British living in Prague, the Golden City. We are meeting him for a cup of tea on a sunny Wednesday afternoon across Hagen HC’s offices at busy Wenceslas Square, one of the city’s main squares that is also of historical significance. The area is buzzing with tourists and students strolling around the city after school. John is the dedicated YBorder contact point at Hagen HC, a specialised recruitment agency in IT from the Czech Republic.

A thriving start-up scene in Eastern Europe

After placing our order in Czech, John switches to English explaining to us that the atmosphere in the city has become increasingly international over the years. He has noticed a growing number of foreign expats who, like him, have decided to set foot in the Czech capital. But it is not only international corporations opening offices in Prague: “Since the international rise of a very well known social media organisation about six years ago, the Czech start-up scene has been developing strongly. Many technology organisations worldwide started here within the Czech Republic. Recently local entrepreneurs have also been joined by foreign founders who have developed their businesses here. Technology talents are drawn to this international life.”

Cross-border movements to and from the Czech Republic

John explains this cross-border movement to Eastern Europe with lower cost of living, excellent travel around the EU, a well-educated workforce with good English skills and economic stability: As a matter of fact, the Czech Republic has one of the most developed industrialized economic systems of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe. But the international mobility towards the east has also left an impact on Czech developers. At Hagen Human Capital, software engineers are generally placed in international environments as a first step. “Wanting to relocate abroad is often a next career step for these internationally curious developers. This is also why we found YBorder’s concept appealing for our company and candidates.” The platform helps many types of different software engineers and developers find a job effortlessly in a country of their choice.

Financial incentives and new experiences important for future tech expats

We want to know what role potential technological differences play for candidates who consider working abroad. “Education is of particular importance to the Czech”, says John after finishing his tea. “In terms of programming languages and digital technology, the country is at a high level. We see big international players opening up their Development Centers in the country. But after some time, candidates are willing to move on and to take their skills abroad to develop them further.” From his personal conversations with candidates the British expat concludes that Czech or Slovak developers are especially attracted by the international experience itself and also by financial incentives that can be substantially higher than within the country.

Building relationships with a personal touch

Hagen HC’s approach towards interaction with clients and candidates is marked by these kinds of open exchanges. “We really care about building an actual relationship with our clients and candidates that is based on reliability and trust and marked by a personal touch. This is how we distinguish ourselves from other agencies and recruiters who try and portray this but very rarely do so. We like to actually accompany our candidates through the sometimes stressful process whenever necessary, no matter how senior or type of role – be it in the Czech Republic or abroad.”

Are you a Czech developer and interested in learning more about YBorder? Check out YBorder and for more information get in touch with Hagen Human Capital:

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About us

YBorder is the first European tech recruitment platform where candidates are vetted by local headhunters. Thanks to our intelligent matching system, companies can get in touch with candidates across Europe that precisely meets their recruitment needs.